GoPro editors combed through nearly two years of raw footage from Travis Rice’s latest snowboard film, The Fourth Phase, in search of the best GoPro camera moments. The result is GoPro Perspectives, a series of intimate videos that capture some of the most exciting point-of-view moments from The Fourth Phase while also focusing on Rice’s relationships with his fellow riders and the mountains themselves.
The first episode, which went live on Tuesday, is titled Alaska: Seek and Destroy. It follows Rice and Eric Jackson as they deploy from a helicopter to powder-packed peaks across the state, in search of the infamous “Alaska Crack.”
The video is mostly viewed from the perspective of Rice’s helmet-mounted GoPro, which gives viewers insight into his approach and technique as he prepares to ride each new line.
“By tapping into Travis’ mindset — much of the time through his head cam — we come to understand the skill and calculation that is essential to getting the shot and staying safe in the backcountry,” reads the video’s description.
“Flying around the mountains in Alaska, everything you’re looking at from up there, you’re riding it in your head,” Rice says in a voiceover. The middle of the video contains a series of quick cuts from the tops of various peaks, while we watch Rice plot out his descents from his point of view.
The 11-minute episode is just the first in a series of videos that will be released in the coming weeks. While details of future episodes have yet to be made public, GoPro has shared the air dates and locations. Next Tuesday, episode two will take people to Wyoming, followed by episode three in Japan a week later, and then a return to Alaska for episode four on November 1.
Updated October 18, 2016: GoPro has released the second Perspectives episode, which takes place in Jackson, Wyoming. In it, Rice and snowboarding legend Brian Iguchi successfully find their way to “Mars,” a bowl deep in the Jackson Hole backcountry. Rice had been trying to reach the spot for fifteen years.
On shooting with GoPro cameras, Rice said, “The goal with our films has always been immersion for the viewer. Without a doubt one of the biggest evolutions of this film was the ability the use of GoPro cameras shot in 4K footage, which allowed us to capture shots we would have never been able to otherwise. Being able to ride in close proximity and share moments of what it is like to really be up in those types of mountains, helped us make The Fourth Phase a truly experiential experience.”
You can watch the episode below.
Updated October 25, 2016: The third Perspectives episode is now live. Travis Rice and Mark Landvik team up to take on the deep powder backcountry of Japan. In addition to the stunning visuals, this episode reveals more of the personalities and senses of humor of the two snowboarders as they seek out new adventures. The Japanese Alps made for one of the most breathtaking sequences in The Fourth Phase, and fans now have an opportunity to see new footage from the area thanks to GoPro.
Updated November 1, 2016: The fourth and final episode of GoPro Perspectives is now online. Follow along with Rice, Jeremy Jones, and the daredevil Victor de Le Rue as they scale icy peaks in Alaska’s backcountry. In this episode, de Le Rue pushes farther and higher than even Rice and Jones dare go in the challenging conditions.
The episode concludes with a nice montage of GoPro shots from throughout the production of The Fourth Phase. Like previous Perspectives videos, this one was shot entirely on GoPro cameras. But as impressive as the visuals are, it’s the sound that makes this video so immersive. Give it a watch below.
